Lesson video

Hello.

My name is Ms. Krijnauw, and I'm so pleased that you've joined me for this lesson, which has called Baghdad's Connection to the East.

This lesson is part of a unit entitled, "Early Islamic Civilization: What Connected Baghdad to the Wider World?" And so in this lesson, we will explore the fascinating city of Baghdad and its important connections to the East during the mediaeval period.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe Baghdad's connections to Asia and the East.

And it is my job to support you with the learning materials and resources so that you can attain this lesson's learning outcome.

In this lesson, you will encounter some important key words.

They are astronomer.

An astronomer is a scientist who studies astronomy, which is the science about stars, and space, and planets, and everything beyond Earth.

Another keyword is Siddhanta.

The Siddhanta was a book with a collection of ideas and teachings in various fields, like maths, astronomy, and philosophy.

Decimal.

decimal refers to a system of numbers based on the number 10.

For example, there are 10 ones in a 10.

There are 10 10s in 100, and so forth.

Observatory.

An observatory as a building specially designed for studying the moon, planet, stars, and galaxies.

Incense.

Incense is a material that often comes in the form of small pieces or sticks, and that produces a pleasant smell when burned.

This lesson entitled, "Baghdad's Connections to the East," has two learning cycles.

And the first learning cycle we will explore is entitled, "Knowledge Exchanges with the East." During the Islamic Golden Age, which lasted from the 8th to the 13th century, Baghdad was a bustling and thriving hub of trade and knowledge exchange.

But what does knowledge exchange mean? It means that the people in Baghdad shared what they learned with other parts of the world.

And in return, they learn things from other places too.

Baghdad was located on the Eastern Bank of the Tigris River, which is in modern day Iraq, and served as the heart of the Abbasid Caliphate.

It was placed on the crossroads of major trade routes, including the Silk Road.

For this reason, Baghdad was a link between Europe and the East.

By the East, we mean places that were east of Baghdad, such as India and China.

Baghdad served as a central point where goods and knowledge from the East flowed through.

One such example is of the Indian astronomer Kanaka.

In 771 CE, this Indian astronomer travelled to Baghdad.

As an astronomer, Kanaka studied astronomy, the science about space, stars, planets, galaxies, and everything beyond Earth.

He was part of a tradition of advanced scientific study in India.

Kanaka brought with him a book called "The Siddhanta," a book filled with knowledge about maths and astronomy.

It was very advanced for the time and included complicated theories and methods for calculating the movements of the stars and planets and solving complex mathematical problems. Let's check for understanding.

Which statement below describes what an astronomer is? Is it A, a person who studies the moon, planets, and stars, or B, a person who designs and constructs buildings? The answer is A, an astronomer is a person who studies the moon, planets, and stars.

Well done.

What was the Siddhanta? A, a text from India filled with knowledge about maths and astronomy, or B, a form of classical Indian dance.

The answer is A, it is a text from India filled with knowledge.

Good work.

The Siddhanta introduced new mathematical techniques and theories about astronomy to the scholars in Baghdad.

Muslim scholars in Baghdad gathered and translated many important works from different cultures and languages, including Greek, Persian, and Indian sources.

They translated the Siddhanta from Sanskrit, which is an ancient Indian language, into Arabic.

In "The Siddhanta," they learned about the decimal number system, also known as the base-10 system.

It is a method of counting and calculating that uses 10 digits, which is zero to nine, and places value based on powers of 10.

So for example, there are ten ones in a 10, there are 10 10s in 100, and there are 10 100s in 1,000.

The scholars of Baghdad were so impressed with the decimal system that they started using it straight away because it made calculations much easier, compared to other systems used at the time, such as the Roman numeral system, which used a series of I and Vs, Xs, L, C, Ds, and Ms, to represent all the numbers.

the Siddhanta also included new ways to calculate the movements of the planets and stars using the decimal system.

This meant that the scholars in Baghdad could make more precise observations of the sky, and they too became better astronomers.

The mathematical concepts from the Siddhanta were later transmitted to Europe, significantly impacting the development of science in the waste.

Let's consolidate our learning.

Use the image to change one word in the sentence to make it correct.

In the Siddhanta, Muslim scholars learned about the Roman number system.

Well, let's find out which word should have been changed.

In the Siddhanta, Muslim scholars learned about the decimal number system.

Well done if you managed to spot that mistake and correct it.

The Muslim scholars also translated works by Greek scholars, like Ptolemy, who had made important discoveries about the stars and planets himself.

Inspired by the combined knowledge of Greek and Indian astronomy, Muslim scholars built specially designed buildings for studying the moon, planet, stars and galaxies.

These buildings are called observatories and are used to observe the heavens.

These observatories allowed the scholars of Baghdad to collect data, and improve, and refine their ideas and knowledge about astronomy.

The scholars of Baghdad were certainly learning a lot from other places.

Muslim scholars in Baghdad also created the astrolabe, which is a tool that helped astronomers measure the position of the stars and planets more accurately than they had before.

The basic concept of the astrolabe came from the Greeks, but the Muslim scholars improved its significantly.

The scientific knowledge developed and preserved by Muslim scholars eventually spread to Europe and the mediaeval world.

So what can you remember? Why did Muslim scholars build observatories? Is it A, to conduct medical research and develop new treatments, B, to gain more precise knowledge about astronomy, or C, to create art about the stars and planets? And the answer is B, Muslim scholars built observatories to gain more precise knowledge about astronomy.

Good work.

Are you ready to tackle the first learning task of this lesson? Let's do it.

Thinking about Baghdad's connections to the rest of the world, explain how the following words and phrases are linked.

Indian astronomer, Kanaka, Siddhanta, decimal number system, observatories, and astrolabe.

Pause the video here and when you are ready to reflect on the answer, press play.

Here is an example of an answer that you could have given.

Kanaka, an Indian astronomer, brought a book of knowledge about mathematics and astronomy to Baghdad called the Siddhanta.

In it, Muslim scholars learned about the decimal number system, which they adopted straight away, using knowledge from translated Greek and Indian texts.

Such as the Siddhanta, Muslim scholars built observatories to make more accurate observations of the heavens.

They also created the astrolabe to measure the positions of the stars and planets more accurately.

Good work and a very big well done if you manage to use all the words highlighted in purple.

The second learning cycle of this lesson is entitled, "Trade Exchanges with the East." Baghdad was also connected to the east through trade.

Merchants from Baghdad traded with the Tang dynasty in China.

They travelled thousands of miles along the Silk Road to trade in Guangzhou in China.

They often travelled in caravans over land through Central Asia or by sea along the coasts of the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.

The journey was long and dangerous, often taking several months, and involved travel by land and sea.

Merchants faced numerous dangers, including harsh weather, difficult terrain, and a threat of bandits or pirates.

Despite these challenges, the rewards of trade made these journeys worthwhile.

What can you remember? Change one word in the sentence to make it correct.

The China Road was a network of trade routes on land and sea that traders used to carry goods between Europe and China.

Let's find out what the answer is.

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes on land and sea that traders used to carry goods between Europe and China.

Well done if you spotted the mistake and managed to correct it.

One of the main items merchants from Baghdad brought to China was incense, which is a material typically in the form of small pieces of sticks and produces a lovely smell when burned.

Incense was highly valued for its use in religious ceremonies and rituals and was also considered to be a luxury item because of its fragrance.

In exchange, the merchants from Baghdad received precious goods from the Tang Dynasty, including Jade, which is a decorative stone, much prized in Chinese culture for its beauty and symbolic meaning.

It was used in jewellery and art.

Chinese silk, which was a luxurious fabric, sought all over the world for its quality and elegance.

The Chinese had perfected the art of silk weaving, making their silk highly sought after, and Chinese ceramics, which was pottery and porcelain that was made in China and renowned for its beauty and craftmanship.

These items were very popular among the wealthy people in Baghdad and other parts of the Islamic world.

The trade with the Tang Dynasty brought great wealth to Baghdad.

The city's markets were filled with exotic goods from China, making it a prosperous and wealthy place.

Let's check for understanding.

Sort the goods that Baghdad traded with China into the following categories, either goods taken to China or goods received from China, and the goods are silk, incense, jade, and ceramics.

Let's find out what the answers are.

So the goods taken to China was incenses and the goods received from China was jade, silk, and ceramics.

Well done if you got those correct.

We have now come to the second learning task of this lesson.

It says, explain how Baghdad was connected to the East through trade during the Islamic Golden Age.

Use these words and phrases, Silk Road, goods taken to China, goods received from China.

Pause the video here.

And when you are ready to reflect on the answer, press play.

Your answer could have included following.

Merchants from Baghdad travelled thousands of miles along the Silk Road to trade Guangzhou in China.

They took goods to China, such as incense.

In return, the merchants received luxury goods from China, including jade, silk, and ceramics, like porcelain.

Good work.

And if you manage to include all the words highlighted in green, give yourself an extra well done.

We have now come to the end of this lesson about Baghdad's connections to the east.

But before we go, let's summarise what we have learned.

During the Islamic golden age, Baghdad was connected to the Eastern Asia through trade and knowledge exchange.

Kanaka, an Indian astronomer, brought the Siddhanta, a book of knowledge about maths and astronomy, to Baghdad.

In it, Muslim scholars learned about the decimal number system.

Using knowledge from translated Greek and Indian texts, they built observatories and also created the astrolabe.

Muslim merchants travelled along the Silk Road to trade in Guangzhou in China.

They exported goods such as incense and imported luxury goods, including jade, silk, and ceramics.

Well done for all your hard work today as we learned more about the early Islamic civilization.

I enjoyed travelling back in time to Baghdad with you, and I look forward to another learning adventure with you very soon.